TY - JOUR
T1 - Chitosan-fulvic acid nanoparticles enhance drought tolerance in maize via antioxidant defense and transcriptional reprogramming
AU - Brown, Alexander
AU - Al-Azawi, Tiba Nazar Ibrahim
AU - Methela, Nusrat Jahan
AU - Rolly, Nkulu Kabange
AU - Khan, Murtaza
AU - Faluku, Mwondha
AU - Huy, Vu Ngoc
AU - Lee, Da Sol
AU - Mun, Bong Gyu
AU - Hussian, Adil
AU - Yun, Byung Wook
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2024 The Author(s). Physiologia Plantarum published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Scandinavian Plant Physiology Society.
PY - 2024/7/1
Y1 - 2024/7/1
N2 - Nanoparticles are promising alternatives to synthetic fertilizers in the context of climate change and sustainable agriculture. Maize plants were grown under gradient concentrations (50 μM, 100 μM, 200 μM, 500 μM, and 1 mM) of chitosan (Ch), fulvic acid (FA) or chitosan-fulvic acid nanoparticles (Ch-FANPs). Based on the overall phenotypic assessment, 100 μM was selected for downstream experiments. Maize plants grown under this optimized concentration were thereafter subjected to drought stress by water withholding for 14 days. Compared to the individual performances, the combined treatment of Ch-FANPs supported the best plant growth over chitosan, fulvic acid, or sole watered plants and alleviated the adverse effects of drought by enhancing root and shoot growth, and biomass by an average 20%. In addition, Ch-FANPs-treated plants exhibited a significant reduction in hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) content (~10%), with a concomitant increase in ascorbate peroxidase (APX) activity (>100%) while showing a reduced lipid peroxidation level observed by the decrease in malondialdehyde (MDA) content (~100%) and low electrolyte leakage level. Furthermore, chlorophyll content increased significantly (>100%) in maize plants treated with Ch-FANPs compared to Ch or FA and control in response to drought. The expression of drought-induced transcription factors, ZmDREB1A, ZmbZIP1, and ZmNAC28, and the ABA-dependent ZmCIPK3 was upregulated by Ch-FANPs. Owing to the above, Ch-FANPs are proposed as a growth-promoting agent and elicitor of drought tolerance in maize via activation of antioxidant machinery and transcriptional reprogramming of drought-related genes.
AB - Nanoparticles are promising alternatives to synthetic fertilizers in the context of climate change and sustainable agriculture. Maize plants were grown under gradient concentrations (50 μM, 100 μM, 200 μM, 500 μM, and 1 mM) of chitosan (Ch), fulvic acid (FA) or chitosan-fulvic acid nanoparticles (Ch-FANPs). Based on the overall phenotypic assessment, 100 μM was selected for downstream experiments. Maize plants grown under this optimized concentration were thereafter subjected to drought stress by water withholding for 14 days. Compared to the individual performances, the combined treatment of Ch-FANPs supported the best plant growth over chitosan, fulvic acid, or sole watered plants and alleviated the adverse effects of drought by enhancing root and shoot growth, and biomass by an average 20%. In addition, Ch-FANPs-treated plants exhibited a significant reduction in hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) content (~10%), with a concomitant increase in ascorbate peroxidase (APX) activity (>100%) while showing a reduced lipid peroxidation level observed by the decrease in malondialdehyde (MDA) content (~100%) and low electrolyte leakage level. Furthermore, chlorophyll content increased significantly (>100%) in maize plants treated with Ch-FANPs compared to Ch or FA and control in response to drought. The expression of drought-induced transcription factors, ZmDREB1A, ZmbZIP1, and ZmNAC28, and the ABA-dependent ZmCIPK3 was upregulated by Ch-FANPs. Owing to the above, Ch-FANPs are proposed as a growth-promoting agent and elicitor of drought tolerance in maize via activation of antioxidant machinery and transcriptional reprogramming of drought-related genes.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85199936594&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1111/ppl.14455
DO - 10.1111/ppl.14455
M3 - Article
C2 - 39073158
AN - SCOPUS:85199936594
SN - 0031-9317
VL - 176
JO - Physiologia Plantarum
JF - Physiologia Plantarum
IS - 4
M1 - e14455
ER -
